Volume 38, Issue 2 (March 1993)

Forgery II—Tracing

A total of 189 volunteers were asked to trace 21 handwriting symbols consisting of single strokes, geometric figures, printed English alphabets, and simple Chinese characters. Each of these handwriting symbols contained target features and the ability of the participants to incorporate them in the tracing was assessed. It was found that the ‘threshold superimposability’ for tracing was about 50%, above which the probability of a questioned sample being produced by tracing was high. The subjects also signed and conducted tracing of signatures on a writing pressure meter that detected and recorded pen pressure. The writing pressure variation patterns of natural and traced signatures demonstrated that those signatures produced by tracing were highlighted by the presence of slow, measured strokes accompanied with hesitation, pen pause and the absence of vigor and spontaneity. To conclude, in traced forgeries, the general shape and pictorial effect of the model were closely followed but details were neglected.